APAtlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) scrambles out of the pocket during the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game against the New England Patriots Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010 in Atlanta.

Time to put a close on last week's game and start looking ahead to the Rams in Week 3 of the preseason. But before we do that, here's one more look at some of the talking points from the first half of the Patriots' 28-10 win over the Falcons... with video!!

My goal here was to highlight some of the less obvious things and lesser known players. So, you won't be seeing Fred Taylor's 28-yard touchdown run or Tom Brady shredding up the defense. We'll save that stuff for the regular season.

1. The Patriots defense was destroyed early on when the Falcons used multiple tight end sets and quarterback Matt Ryan went underneath. In the video below, you’ll see Jerod Mayo exposed several times as he failed to pick up the routes that Tony Gonzalez and Justin Peele ran. At the end of the clip, the defense is caught again when they fail to pick-up Peele out of the slot (I apologize in advance if some of the video isn't perfect).

2. There’s really nothing to say about this next video except that cornerback Devin McCourty is making a strong case to start alongside Leigh Bodden. The Patriots will benefit greatly if they he continues to prove that he has some shutdown ability.

3. The new emphasis towards the running game is on full display here. This is a passing situation for most any team, especially the Patriots, but coach Bill Belichick opts to stick with Kevin Faulk on third-and-7, who picks up eight yards on the play. Watch as third-string guard Dan Connolly makes the lead block that springs Faulk loose.

4. This one is kind of hard to see on the video. But if you look closely, you can see Gerard Warren shedding a pair of blockers to get a stop on Falcons running back Michael Taylor. He’s been up and down so far, but moments like this make me feel like he can be an adequate stopgap for Ty Warren.

5. Aaron Hernandez did everything for the Patriots Thursday. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find video of the pass he caught in the flat where he made that nasty jab-step on Sean Witherspoon. There were also several moments that I'd like to show where Hernandez used his athleticism to get down field to lay blocks in the second level. You’ll just have to settle for seeing the amazing catch he made in the end zone to get his first NFL touchdown.

6. I know I said first half highlights, but I'm going to cheat with the last one just because I couldn't believe how awful Terrence Wheatley and Brandon McGowan looked on this play.

7. As a bonus -- Springfield native Ron Brace probably saved his job Thursday night. It's been a tumultuous few weeks for him after missing the early part of camp following a failed conditioning test. But after making three tackles and forcing a fumble, he ensured that he would at least get a second look against the Rams.